


Disaster Hearts

by Colonel_B_Buzzington



Category: Eragon (2006), The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: #Murtagh is actually the best character, #aside from maybe Brom and Saphira, #let's stop with these stupid #'s, #nevermind I have literally no decisiveness, Cool, Eragon and Murtagh grew up together, Hey yo first fic, I'm Sorry, Selena saved both the boys, anywho lets get down to business, plz don't hate me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-16 21:26:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16502993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colonel_B_Buzzington/pseuds/Colonel_B_Buzzington
Summary: What if Selena rescued both of her sons? Well.... funny story.... actually just a warning it's gonna get sad.Title comes from "Disaster Hearts" by I Fight Dragons. Go listen to it and try to tell me it's not Eragon in a nutshell.Also I Fight Dragons, haha.... punny.... puny.





	1. New Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Tae74_2ndDan.  
> You can check her out, she's pretty neato. (Please ignore all ridiculous and or sappy comments made by this idiot. - Tae74) I love her a lot and she's a really good writer, and honestly I like really needed the help because I'm not.... a good writer. (lies - Tae74) Also she's my big sister and if y'all think you could compare then sit back down because you're wrong. Not that you're bad or anything, sorry if that sounded harsh, I'm sure you're all wonderful people, probably, but it doesn't matter because you're not her. Also she keeps stealing my computer to write stuff. 
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy the story. If you got this far.
> 
> I don't know if you could tell but this is my first story on here, and I have the maturity, attention span, intelligence, and body of a twelve year old boy (more lies, she is none of those - Tae74) (sorry twelve year old boys).

The herd had passed through the meadow less than an hour ago. Eragon knelt down, scanning the tracks through the reed grass, seeking out his target’s prints. It was surprising that the doe had somehow managed to keep up with her herd this long, despite the limp in her left forefoot. He would have expected the wolves, or a bear, to have caught her by now.

A chill breeze brushed his face as he looked up at the lightening sky. The herd would bed down soon. Eragon closed his eyes against the fading stars, wondering if Murtagh was having any luck with his hunt. Eragon, while three years younger than his brother, was not bothered by the Spine and had parted from him once the deer had lead them deeper into the mountains. Murtagh had always been more paranoid about the strange tales that told of misty forest floors, and sheer cliffs that no man could survive. While Eragon would admit it was not the safest place to explore, he didn’t put much stock in the drunken rumors and far-fetched tales of the mountain range being haunted. He had spent enough time in these trees to be plenty safe, so long as he was properly aware and cautious.

It had been three days since Murtagh had turned to a “safer” path, and this was the last night Eragon could follow the herd, as his food was half-gone. He needed to catch the doe today and avoid going home empty-handed, not only to provide food for the fast approaching winter, but also to defend his prowess as a hunter. With the traders coming soon, he really didn’t want to lose the wager with his brother this time.

Eragon opened his eyes and prowled into the still dim forest, knowing the deer were likely going to stop in the glen ahead. As the sun rose higher, he crept through the underbrush with the wind to his face. He had almost caught up with the herd, when he quietly withdrew his bow from its buckskin tube, and strung it.

He reached the grove - making sure to keep his cover - and carefully drew three arrows, nocking one as he counted about twenty sleeping mounds. He spotted his target at one of the nearer beds, the doe’s injured leg unable to curl under her normally.

Eragon stalked closer, bow drawn, seeking out a better shot. He would not waste all the work he’d done the last three days. He took a deep breath steadying his bow, briefly imagining the look on Murtagh’s face when he comes home, carrying his prize and— an explosion shattered the morning.

The herd bolted. He loosed his arrow at the sudden noise, and hissed a curse when it missed by mere hairs. His hands found another arrow, knocking it even as he spun towards the source of the sound. Amidst the flattened beds, there was a large ring of burnt grass, nearby trees were even smoldering, the lower branches now bare. Smoke curled through the light breeze from the center of the blast. He could feel a sudden heat in the air radiating outwards. It was then that Eragon noticed a polished blue stone within the circle. Cautiously, Eragon stepped forward, bow drawn once more, eyes wide and searching for danger. Smoke wound around his boots as he stopped at the stone. Carefully, bowstring still taut, he nudged the strange stone with his boot, then jumped back ready to fire. When nothing happened, he lifted it gently, ready to drop it if it burnt through his gloves.

It was surprisingly cool, even through the leather, despite the burning air from its arrival. Tiny white veins marbled a dark blue surface, unlike any natural stone he’d ever seen. Eragon ran his hands over the stone, its surface as smooth as ice. It was polished to the point of reflecting the dappled light, giving it an eerily ethereal look. Eragon frowned, thinking it was light for how large the stone was. Where did it come from? What’s it for? Clearly this was caused by magic, and Eragon couldn’t help but think of the old stories warning against the dangers of magic, and those who used it. Why was it sent to the middle Spine of all places? A mistake, maybe? Or is it fate that it came to me? In all the tales he knew, good things rarely came to the people who messed around with unknown magic and magic wielders. But then again, even worse befell those who tried to defy fate. Should I keep it?

Eragon pictured what Murtagh’s reaction would be if he found out Eragon had picked up the strange stone from the spine. Eragon you idiot! That thing could be dangerous, you should have left it where it was! Eragon almost dropped it right there, but a flicker of rebellion ran through him. I’m almost a man, I can make my own decisions; I don’t need my brother to tell me what to do. Besides, someone took the time to polish and shape it, so it’s probably worth something. It could help pay for the food that it robbed me of tonight.

Murtagh would just have to get over his paranoia about this. He slipped the strange stone into his pack and set off for home. At least without the added weight of the doe, it would be easier to find a less exposed place to camp for tonight, because although feeling defiant, he wasn’t stupid.


	2. Returning Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, gotta mention this was Beta'd by Tae74_2ndDan. She's awesome, she keeps me on track with the story, and makes it better. I don't really know what else to say, so for anyone who reads this, I hope you enjoy chapter 2. If you don't, then... I don't know. Leave? Or stick around 'cause hopefully this'll get better.

The days following the appearance of the stone were uneventful as Eragon made his way back through the Spine to Palancar Valley. The trail he followed was formed by animals, so it wound through the forest with seemingly no direction. Despite that, it was the quickest way out of the mountains, and with the air steadily turning colder each night Eragon wanted to be home.

By the time noon rolled around on the third day, Eragon could hear the far away roar of the Igualda Falls. Excited to get home, he quickened his pace and soon arrived at an outcrop near the top of the falls. The water sped past him at a frightening rate before casting itself over the edge of the cliffs. Mist obscured the bottom, but Eragon knew it was nearly a half-mile drop. A thumb’s length beyond the cloud of the fall’s spray was a group of tiny brown buildings that made up Carvahall, surrounded by farms that looked no bigger than a fingernail. The Anora River emerged from the mist and wove through the farms around the village before stretching towards Therinsford and the single peak of Utgard, tying together the two ends of Palancar Valley.

After a moment to admire the view, Eragon hopped off of the outcropping and continued down the trail. As he picked his way down the steep path, he debated what he should do with the stone.

_Murtagh is a good hunter, so we probably won’t need the extra meat, but then again you can’t be too safe. If I’m going to sell it though, it has to be tonight, I won’t have the chance to go into town again until the traders come through, and Garrow is expecting us both home soon. Maybe if I–_

Eragon yelled as his foot slipped on a particularly slick patch of rock and he flailed his arms out, searching for something to hold as he slid down. His left hand latched onto a boulder about five feet down the traill, abruptly stopping him. Carefully, he stood, leaning against the cliff to inspect his pack for damage. He let out a sigh in relief when he saw nothing worse than a new stain. He peered inside the pack at the stone and scowled.

_Maybe it really is bad luck….Whatever, I’ll just sell it to Sloan._

The rest of the trip down, Eragon put the stone out of his mind and made sure to step with care. By the time he arrived in Carvahall, it was dusk. The air smelled smokey from the chimneys where suppers were being made, and there were candles and lamps being lit in windows as the natural light waned.

Eragon arrived at the butcher’s shop and paused outside. _Maybe I should just go home, try to sell it when the traders come._ Eragon shook his head and opened the door. Inside, there was a welcoming fire, and a counter spanning the far side of the room. Everything was cleaned to an obsessive degree, and a decisively less welcoming Sloan was staring with contempt at the entrance.

“Well, the mighty hunter joins the rest of us mortals. How many did you bag this time?”

“None,” Eragon replied with a clipped tone. As always, Sloan was talking to him as if he were rotten meat.

“Astonishing,” Sloan sneered. “And your brother?”

“I don’t know, we split up a day into our hunt.”

“Ah, and I suppose you’re here to make up for your failure.”

Eragon scowled, “No I–”

“Well if that’s the case then leave, I’m closing up.” Eragon stared at him angrily.

“I’m here to buy meat Sloan.” Eragon opened his pack and pulled out the stone, “I don’t have any money, but I found this to trade.” Sloan raised an eyebrow, but took the stone out of Eragon’s hands and inspected it. He ran his hands over the surface, squinting at the white veins.

“It’s pretty, but how much is it worth?” He said as he set down on the counter, brows furrowed.

“I don’t know,” Eragon shrugged, “but someone bothered to shape it, so it must be valuable.”

“And you expect me to believe you just ‘found’ it? Who’d you steal it from?”

“I didn’t steal it! Will you take it or not?”

“Hmm… I’ll give you three crowns for it.”

“What! That’s ridiculous, it’s obviously worth more than that. Three crowns isn’t even enough for a week of meat!”

“Well that’s what I’m offering, so if you don’t like it than go home and wait for the traders.”

“Fine! I’ll take the three crowns.” Eragon grumbled after a moment of hesitation. Waiting for the traders would take too long, especially if Murtagh didn’t kill anything.

“Great, I’ll go get your meat.” He said smugly, before pausing and turning back around “Actually, before I do, where did you find this?”

“Why does it matter?” A bad feeling crept up Eragon’s spine at the butcher’s question.

“Just tell me or I’m not selling.” Sloan snapped.

“In the Spine, two nights ago,” Eragon admitted. Sloan’s face paled and then contorted into a painful, enraged expression.

“Get out!” He ordered sharply while backing away from the stone.

“But you were just about to–” _Damn it, I should have just said in the woods or something._

“I don’t want anything from those damned mountains near me. Get that devil’s stone out of my shop!” He turned and walked to the other end of the counter, ignoring Eragon’s sputtering.

“You already agreed to sell to me, you made the offer!”

“And I revoked it!” Sloan emphasized by slamming his palm into the counter, making Eragon jump and snatch up the stone before it could roll off the edge. “NOW GET OUT YOU–”

The door behind Eragon banged open, making him jump again. He spun around, stone still clutched in his arms to face his brother. _Murtagh. Uh oh. He looks pissed._ Behind him was Katrina, peering in from outside with a purposeful expression. _Well that’s strange, she normally stays out of her father’s arguments._

“Your child of a brother–” Sloan began.

“Shut it, Sloan.” Murtagh spit. “Let’s go home Eragon.”

“But–”

“Come on,” He said, still glaring daggers at Sloan. Eragon sighed and picked up his pack to put the stone in, before slinging it over his shoulder. They exited, Eragon resisting the urge to turn around and stick his tongue out at Sloan. Once they were a few houses away, Eragon turned to Murtagh.

“How are we going to get enough meat for the winter?”

“Oh come on, you should have more faith in me,” Murtagh said smiling, “I bagged plenty to last us for a while. And it looks like I won our bet.”

“Whatever I bet they were all squirrel.”

“Well that’s better than being empty handed you little–”

“Not that I mean to interrupt or anything, but I should probably go back to my father, and you two should probably go home, instead of us standing in the road while the sun goes down.“ Katrina interjected, scaring Murtagh and Eragon, who had kind of forgotten she was there, “I know Garrow was expecting you, right Murtagh?”

“Ah right.” Murtagh sighed, “Oh, and before I forget, Roran wanted me to tell you you’re pretty and he’s obsessed with you, and all that soft stuff he talks about.”

“Thank you, Murtagh,” Katrina blushed. “Would you tell him I’ll see him when the traders arrive?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Murtagh sighed, already turning away from Carvahall.

They parted, and Eragon and Murtagh started walking down the trail that led to Garrow’s farm.

“Where’d you put all that supposed meat you bagged this trip.” Eragon asked.

“It’s already at the house, I got back this morning, then went down to Carvahall.”

“Why?”

Murtagh rolled his eyes, “ I wanted to talk to Horst about smithing with him once Albriech leaves. That’s how Katrina found me.She was going to get Horst, but as soon I saw her I knew it had something to do with you, so I left with her.”

“How?”

“How’d I know?” Murtagh clarified, Eragon nodded, “Brotherly instinct.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t make sense because you’re the younger one, it only works if you’re older.” Murtagh teased. Eragon huffed and they walked on in silence.

“So what’s with that rock?”

“I found it….” Eragon confessed. He had hoped his brother would have forgotten, or maybe not noticed. He should have known better.

“You were in the Spine.”

“Yeah….”

“You found a shaped rock that you thought would be valuable enough to trade….in the Spine.” Murtagh stopped walking.

“Yeah….” Eragon wasn’t sure he liked where this was going.

“And how exactly did you find this valuable and shaped rock in the haunted and creepy mountains that nobody except you is mad enough to go in? And don’t tell me you actually stole it, ‘cause I’m not stupid enough to believe that.”

“Some of the fur trappers go into the Spine too! And I don’t know, it was just there. In a clearing where the herd was bedding down. I figured someone must have dropped it there by mistake.” _They just dropped it with magic…. Of course, if I tell him that it exploded into the clearing, there’s no way he’ll let me keep it._

“So you just decided to stick it in your bag and carry it home.” His brother really didn’t sound too happy about that.

“Yes?” It was too dark by now to see Murtagh’s face clearly, but Eragon was sure it was his ‘Are you seriously that stupid?’ face. “I’m not gonna keep it forever! I just thought it would be worth trying to sell! When the traders come it’ll be gone, I promise!”

“Has it done anything?”

“Done anything? It’s just a stone.”

“You never know! It never hurts to be cautious!”

“Murtagh, it’s a stone. What’s it going to do, roll in my general direction?”

“Oh, shut up.” Murtagh started forward again, leaving Eragon to follow. “It goes with the traders, though.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Silence fell again as they continued down the road. Soon they were turning to see a brick chimney over the trees, and a muted barn through the tall grass. The fields stood empty behind buildings and backed up to the Anora.

There were tools and firewood propped against the house and the animals wandered in the yard around the barn. Arriving at the door Murtagh knocked softly as Eragon took in the comfort of being home.

“Uncle, it’s us, open the door!” Murtagh groaned. The door creaked open at his voice, and Garrow stood before them.

“Roran’s asleep” He whispered.

“Already? We spend days out in the cold wilderness, hoping and praying for the chance to fill our families tables with meat and he won’t even wait for us to come home.” Murtagh said looking at Eragon in mock anger. Eragon smiled tiredly.

“Well, I think I’ll follow his example and go to bed too.” Eragon stated.

“Wait a minute, did you not catch anything?” Garrow asked incredulously

“Not this time, no,” Eragon replied as he put up his bow and quiver. “Murtagh won the bet.”

“Looks like we’ve finally got a change in events.” Garrow laughed, “Well you certainly look tired, so go get some rest. We still have the squash left to pick tomorrow.”

Eragon nodded and lugged his pack into his room as Murtagh told their uncle about his talk with Horst. He took the stone out and shoved it under his bed before collapsing onto the mattress.

_So glad to be home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha neato.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about all her silliness at the start of the chapter. My sister is ridiculous and I had to keep stealing her computer to make her stop being stupid.
> 
> \- Tae74_2ndDan
> 
> haha neato.


End file.
